Who's Boy?
by KaylaDestroyer
Summary: My strangest story yet! Sid has been having dreams about his early childhood, and Diego is hiding a secret that Sid is willing to die for. When humans from Diego and Sid's past come into the mix, things just get worse. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Flash Back

Hey Everyone! since I have misplaced my flashdrive again, I have decided to entertain you with this new story until I can continue Ice Age Pirates. PLEASE DO NOT BE MAD AT ME. The chapters might be short, but I'll try to to make them longer as the story progresses. Please do not flame me for this idea, I personally love it because I like Diego and Sid stuff, but they are _not_ gay in this. So, please enjoy and leave a review!

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><p>Who's Boy?<p>

Chapter 1: Flashback

Sid was asleep, and this was usually a good state for him. He liked sleeping, being dead to the rest of the world and its problems. However, recently, sleep had been a tiresome time for him.

Line Break~

_Sid was in total darkness. All around him he heard loud noise of panic, and he himself was being rushed around in the arms of his mother. He could hear her heart pumping wildly in her chest, and it disturbed him. Her heartbeat had always been soothing and sleep inducing to him, but now it only encouraged him to stay awake in fear. He was suddenly but gently layed down somewhere, and he heard his mother's voice say, " _I love you my little one. I have not held you long, but you are mine. My baby, stay strong. _" _

_Then he heard another voice, although just as familiar, say, " _ My son, even though you have no name, I trust you shall grow strong, and be great. Even if I do not live to see as such. _" And then, not long after the two left him alone, he heard two painful cries, and he whimpered. Soon after, all the noise died down. And little Sid was left alone. He began to cry, after all, whenever he cried, his mother would come. But this time, she did not come. _

_No one came. So he continued to cry, upset that his mother had not heard his pleas, and sad that he was all alone. But soon, someone came. They reached in with their unusually large hands and picked him up. He was cradled against something large and soft, from which emanated a very large pumping sound. It was slow and peaceful, and Sid liked it. He curled up against the stranger, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. _

_He felt so warm and comfy. A voice, he could only presume belonged to the person holding him, asked, "_ Where's your momma little one? _" It was deep, like the voice that accompanied his mother's voice. Sid just gave a small whimper, and prodded the large being for something to suck on. Sadly, whoever had come to his aid did not provide nutrition. He whimpered once more in displeasure. He heard a sharp intake of breath, and the person holding him asked, " _Is _that_ your momma? _" _

_It sounded nervous and shocked, which Sid did not like. He didn't know if it was his mother, he couldn't see anything! " _You can come with me, little one._" the voice said. Sid was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of his neck, and the rest of his body was released. He pulled his knees up to his chest, and whimpered. He was not used to being carried this way. His rescuer set off at a fast pace, but made sure Sid was not jolted along the way._

_When he finally stopped, he took Sid in his arms once again, and started talking. Sid didn't pay attention, he was finally starting to fall asleep. Then, he was put on the ground, near two warm bodies. He snuggled up against them, and found that the one against his head gave him something to suck on! And suck he did, very hungrily. Perhaps these strangers would keep him, and he could grow up strong like his father had said. " _What should we call him? _" a new voice asked. It was the voice of the one that gave him milk. It sounded light, like his mother's, so he curled up against her. There was a lapse of silence._

" I think we should call him… Sidney. _" the deeper voice replied. Sid felt very happy; these strangers had named him, so they were probably going to keep him! He gave a small gurgle, and fell asleep._

Line Break~

Sid awoke with a gasp. That was the farthest he gotten this week. When the dreams had started, he had only gotten as far as his parents abandoning him. Now he knew that he had been adopted and raised by a stranger. But who could the stranger have been? Their hands had been so large, and their fingers were very close together, almost like… paws! They were like saber paws!

" _So, was I adopted by sabers? _" Sid wondered. Looking around, he noticed that the sun was already high in the sky, and that he was alone in the herd's cave,as usual. Sighing, he stood up and cracked his back. Then he started off to find breakfast, which would probably be some strawberries, apples, a few bananas, and a peach or two. Such was his typical Tuesday morning breakfast. While he chewed, he thought over his dream extension. Could he have been _that_ cute to make a full grown saber want to care for him rather than eat him?

He wished he knew. And later on, he would also wish he had known that a couple of possums were hiding in a tree branch right above his head. " FIRE! " rang out through the trees, and in the next instant, Sid was pelted with acorns. He screamed in fear and surprise, and tried to protect his head with his hands. When the acorns stopped pelting him, Crash and Eddie's laughter pealed through the air. Sid glared up at Ellie's brothers for all he was worth. They hung upside down from a tree branch, laughing their heads off. But before anyone would utter a word, a small squirrel looking creature jumped out from behind the tree, shaking his tiny fist at them and squeaking rapidly. The three looked at each other in confusion.

" Dude, I think we used his acorns. " Eddie said to Crash. The squirrel made a couple more grunting noises, before sighing and scurrying off. Crash smiled devilishly.

" We sure got you good, Sid! " he teased. Sid went back to glaring.

" Can't you two leave me alone for _once_? " Sid complained. The possums snickered.

" Well, we could but, we don't want to! " Eddie replied. Sid frowned and groaned. He picked a few more strawberries, then headed off to the apple tree. He felt so mistreated, no one gave him any respect, except when he really needed it. Of course, he felt like he needed it more than usual nowadays, but no one paid attention to him any more.

In times like this, he would often remember Diego's words to the mini-sloths on the day the flood ended, " _Fire King has a, prior commitment. His herd, needs him. He is the gooey, sticky, stuff that, holds us together. He made this herd, and, we would be nothing, without him. _" Sid smiled. Just hearing those words in his mind made him feel good inside. To know that Diego, the unlikeliest of the entire herd, thought that he was important.

He sighed, and frowned again. Not like he would admit that openly though. Diego was very secretive, no one knew about his past before Soto, and yet Sid was sure everyone knew _his_ birthday, parents' names, birthplace, old friends, stuff like that. But they didn't have any idea about who _Diego's_ parents were, or when his birthday was, or where he was born, or any of his old friends. Perhaps he could pull Diego aside for a talk sometime. That could prove to be hard though. Diego liked to take a lot of naps, he hunted three times a day, and Sid didn't know where he was the rest of the time.

Sometimes they ran into each other, and Sid would ask what Diego was doing, and Diego would say 'nothing important' or ' none of your business'. But Sid really wanted to know what Diego did all day. Maybe sabers had something special that they liked to do, just because they were sabers. He would like to know. So, as soon as the sloth finished breakfast, he started out on a hunt for Diego. First, he asked Manny if he knew anywhere Diego might be. " Hm, well, usually after taking his morning nap here at the cave, he goes in that direction. " Manny replied, pointing with his trunk.

Sid thanked him and waddled off in the direction the mammoth had indicated. Sid soon came to a large cliff overhang, below it was a vast expanse of area, quite beautiful too. Looking straight down, Sid saw many boulders and stones that would be hard to navigate, but if one was nimble enough ( like Diego ) he could jump down the incline using flat stones that were situated here and there. Sid however, didn't think he was all that graceful. He could end up falling a very long way, and getting very many bruises. Nonetheless, he carefully lowered himself down to the first flat stone. He looked around for a moment, and spotted another flat stone to his left, only a yard down.

Taking a deep breath, he jumped. After staying frozen with his eyes closed for a moment, he opened them to find he had landed successfully. Smiling, he looked around for the next flat stone. After many jumps and much climbing, he came to the last jump. It was about five yards down, which was the biggest jump so far. Mustering up all of his courage, Sid jumped down. His feet landed firmly on the stone, but the impact caused his legs to wobble for a moment.

He nearly fell over, but caught himself on a boulder. Standing up, he looked around. He was standing in front of a grassy plain, a tree standing with a rotting log next to it some ways away from him. To the left, there was an incline, and below that there was more grassy plain. He looked to the right, and if he squinted, he could see a cave in the distance. He started over, thinking perhaps Diego was inside of it. He remembered some tips Diego had once given him when checking out caves.

First of all: claw marks. If there were claw marks on the floor, wall, or ceiling of a cave, that meant it had probably been home or was _currently_ home to a predator. Second: scent. If Sid could by any chance smell a scent marking in front of a cave, it probably belonged to a saber, or some other type of predator. Third, and most obvious: sight. If Sid could tell that there was a creature already in the cave, it was a good idea to stay away, just in case they weren't friendly. Sid ran them through his head as he approached the cave.

When he finally came within a meter of it, he began to feel a strange sense of de ja vou. Just walking up to it seemed familiar. He made a mental note to think about it later. Once he stepped inside, he could vaguely make out the shape of a saber sitting with his back to the entrance. He cocked his head. " Diego? Is that you? " The figure whirled around, and Sid saw the familiar eyes shape, filled in with a florescent green shining in the dark. " Buddy it's me, Sid. " Sid explained, trying not to give his friend a heart attack. Diego froze for a moment, before blinking a couple of times, then shook his head.

" Hey Sid. " he replied.

" What are you doing? " Sid asked.

" Uhh, " Diego fumbled. " Just, checking this place out. You know, just to have my own personal get away every now and again. Although, I guess you being here ruins that… "

" I won't bother you. " Sid said. Then smirked. " Often. " They both laughed. There was silence.

" Well, are you gonna' stand in the sun all day, or are you gonna' come check this place out? " Diego asked. Sid chuckled.

" Uh, I guess so. " he stepped forwards, entering the cave. Again, it seemed so familiar, and yet, he was _sure_ he had never been here before. Looking around, it was pretty much dark, the walls were black, the ceiling was black, the ground was black. Diego led him farther and farther in, until they came to the very back of the cave. There were holes in the ceiling, which enabled Sid to see that it was much higher than he expected. Sunlight streamed through the holes, so that Sid wasn't totally blind. It was a large area, with lot's of room. " Wow, this place is cool! How did you find it? " Sid asked.

" Oh, you know, we were nearby so, I uh, decided to do a little scouting. " Diego replied uneasily.

" Oh. " There was a long silence. " You know, this place seemed oddly familiar when I was walking up to it. Like I've seen it before, crazy huh? " Diego just stared at him for a moment, before looking away.

" Yeah it's, a little weird. I wouldn't say 'crazy', more like… " Sid stared at him, confused. Diego shook his head. " Never mind. " Sid looked around the cave some more.

" You know, if you were hiding something, something important, you could bring it all the way back hear and bury it. "

" _Bury_ it? " Diego asked, staring at Sid quizzically.

" Yeah, if you were a pirate, and you had a chest of whatever humans consider treasure, I would say a chest full of mangoes, but anyway, you could bring it to the very back of this cave, and bury it. " Sid explained. Diego blinked.

" That's actually a pretty good- " Diego started.

" And you could put secret makers leading to this place! You could draw a map to get to the first marker, and then the rest would guide you along! That way, you could hand it down through your family ( if it was that sort of thing ) and you could just hand the map down to your kids and they'd pass it down to their kids, and they'd pass it down to their kids, and so on and so forth. " Sid continued. Diego stared at him.

" idea. " he finished. Sid just grinned. Diego chuckled. " You're something, you know that? " Sid's face went blank. Diego raised an eyebrow. He waved a paw in front of Sid's face. Then he grinned, and slowly moved his paw back and forth.

Sid's eyes began to sub consciously follow it. Diego's grin widened. He suddenly poked Sid's nose, causing the sloth to blink and stumble back. Diego laughed out loud. " You okay? " he asked. Sid shook his head, laying a hand on it.

" Y-yeah, yeah I'm fine. " he replied. Diego frowned.

" You don't_ sound_ okay. " He took a step forward, causing Sid to take a step back.

" N-no, r-really, I-I'm fine. " he stuttered. Diego cocked his head worriedly.

" Why don't you sit down? " he said, gently pushing down on Sid's shoulder. The sloth complied, plopping onto his behind. He stared at the floor, not moving. Diego kept his paw on the sloth's shoulder, and sat down next to him. He observed him quietly, not uttering a word. Sid sighed, almost making Diego jump. Sid closed his eyes, squeezing them.

Uncertainly, Diego placed his paw where the sloth's chin would be were it visible, and looked at him in a way he wouldn't if they weren't alone. " Sid? " the sloth leaned against Diego's shoulder, putting them in quite a position. Diego froze, then placed his other paw on one side of Sid's head. They sat like that for a few moments.

" Diego? "

" Yes Sid? "

" What are you doing? " Diego instantly released Sid, leaning away.

" Uh, I was, you looked kind of, I thought you, " he stuttered, fidgeting. Sid raised an eyebrow. " Never mind. "

" You okay yourself Diego? You've seemed kinda' strange this whole time. " Sid asked. Diego chuckled nervously.

" I uh, I've been feeling a little strange myself this whole week. " he replied. Sid tilted his head.

" Because of the move? I thought you liked this place. " Sid asked.

" Well, it's, I just, I can't, " Diego sighed. " I can't. "

" Can't what? "

" Not remember. "

" Not remember what? "

" What happened. "

" What happened? "

" Something I did that I shouldn't have. "

" What did you do? " Diego suddenly frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.

" I'm surprised you don't remember! " he snapped. " After all it made you so sad! " He then stalked past Sid angrily and out of the cave. Sid watched him leave, shocked, hurt, and confused. He just sat for a while, staring up at the holes in the ceiling. He soon felt the darkness pressing in on him, the pinpricks of sunlight seeming like his only connection to the outside world, and he was alone in this prison.

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><p>So how did I do? Is it good? Bad? Horrible? Great? Lame? Weird? Let me know what you think. Again, sorry for the pause in writing Ice Age Pirates, but I wanted to put something up here for you all to read, so here it is!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: What's Wrong?

Greetings fellow Fanfictioners! I'm posting the second chapter quickly just to try and get ya'll hooked on it. I'll post the third chapter later. I'm evil aren't I? Anyway, I suppose Diego's secret is becoming more and more obvious to the readers, but Sid's still in the dark. Not for long though, he'll be in the dawn soon. But not quite yet morning! Special acknowledgements to whoever understands that and explains it in a review! Here's chapter 2, enjoy and leave a review!

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><p>Who's Boy?<p>

Chapter 2: What's Wrong?

Diego stalked out of the cave's entrance, and climbed up the rock wall. He went straight for the herd's home cave, and laid down heatedly at its entrance. He didn't know why he had blown up at Sid like that, it wasn't the sloth's fault in any way. Diego had only wanted the best for him, and he had thought that… Diego shook his head. He didn't want to think about that, if there was one thing that brought tears to Diego's eyes, it was remembering that horrible mistake. He sighed; what was wrong with him?

He should be overjoyed at the chance to be with Sid again, and yet he was still angry and sad. Probably because Sid had done almost all of his growing up without him. He could have watched Sid grow up, but he chose not to. It still puzzled him why he had given that chance up; he wanted to be a father, and he wouldn't have kept Sid from other sloths, so why? Why was he still so upset about that? He should be rejoicing! " _Except that Sid doesn't know who I am. _" Diego thought.

He cringed; that was a blow he'd taken long ago, but the bruise it left still hadn't healed. He still cared very much for Sid, and the fact that Sid had no idea who he was stung. He knew he had to try and tell Sid the truth, but he was afraid. What if Sid was angry? What if he hated Diego? What if he told everyone else? Diego shivered.

How was he to go about such a thing? He knew he had to do it as soon as possible, but he just couldn't do it right away. After all, Sid had found that cave. What he _could_ do right away was apologize. Sighing heavily, he stood to go find the sloth. " You okay? " The voice surprised Diego so much he jumped and let out a yowl. Spinning around, he bared his teeth defensively.

" Whoa, it's just me! " Manny exclaimed, holding his trunk up. Diego relaxed.

" Oh, hey Manny. "

" You alright? You seemed upset. " Diego sighed.

" I just uh, had this thing with Sid. " he replied. He looked away and started walking again, but failed to notice Manny raise his eyebrows. He went all the way back to the cave, but to his dismay did not find Sid. He rushed back out and sniffed the ground urgently. Picking up Sid's scent, he ran west, hoping that nothing had happened to his friend. He soon heard human shouts, and slowed his pace. Once he caught sight of them, he hid behind a tree, and peeked out to see what they were doing.

He was horrified.

Sid was curled up into a ball on the ground, covered in bruises, with a few cuts here and there. Surrounding him were five adult humans, all pointing and laughing at him, poking their spears at him, causing Sid to jerk around while trying to protect himself. They kicked him around, stepped on him, laughing their heads off. Diego was temporarily frozen in rage. He suddenly leaped from his hiding place onto the nearest human. He lost focus in a myriad of himself biting and scratching at the human. It went on for a long time, and when Diego was finally finished, he felt more tired that he had expected.

He looked around to see all five humans were laying on the ground dead or struggling to run away. He ignored it all and turned to Sid. Thankfully, he hadn't accidentally hurt the sloth in any way. He was curled up against a tree, shivering, crying. Diego's heart melted, he felt as though he had failed, letting Sid get hurt so horribly.. He quickly made his way over, and sat down in front of the sloth. Slowly, he gently took the sloth in his arms, feeling all of his bruises and staining his own fur with the sloth's blood.

" Sh, " he gently tried to shush Sid. He didn't like hearing the sloth cry. Diego just sat there for a long time, not moving, stroking Sid's neck, shushing him, even licking a few of his cuts. After a while, Sid's crying ceased, and he looked up at Diego.

" Diego? " he asked with a sniffle.

" Yeah Sid, I'm here. " Diego replied.

" Why? " Sid asked. Diego felt his chest tighten.

" Because I care about you. " he paused and let out a sigh. " Listen, I'm sorry about what I said. I had no right to blow up at you like that. " he apologized. Sid smiled.

" Apology accepted. " he said. Then he frowned in confusion. " Um, what are you doing? " he asked, noticing the position they were in.

" Well, you didn't look too good curled up against that tree with no one trying to comfort you. " Diego replied, giving Sid one of his signature smirks. Sid smiled back. He laid his head on Diego's chest, and sighed. Diego smiled and licked Sid's forehead, where one of his many cuts was. " Do you think you can walk? " Sid shook his head.

" Not without help. " Diego held Sid as the sloth stood up,then stood up himself and allowed Sid to lean on him. The two started home to the herd's cave slowly, taking a route around the rock wall, which only took them longer. But it was flatter, so Diego was grateful. When they finally reached the rest of the herd, Ellie instantly fretted worriedly over Sid, trying to pick him up and bring him into the cave.

" Ellie he's fine. " Diego assured her.

" No he's not! " Ellie said, attempting to wrap her trunk around the sloth.

" Ellie he can walk! " Diego insisted a little forcefully.

" Diego just let me- "

" I SAID HE'S FINE! " Diego shouted. He was in a slightly sour mood, and it didn't take much to get on his nerves. Everyone stared at him.

" I just want to- " Ellie started.

" Well you don't _have_ to! " Diego snapped.

" Diego, he shouldn't be walking! " Ellie reasoned.

" Fine! " Diego gently picked Sid up and laid him across his back, then stalked into the cave. Once he was inside a good ways, he gently slid Sid off onto the ground. " There, happy now? " he snapped. Manny cringed, and the possums stared at Diego incredulously.

" Diego, are you feeling okay? " Manny asked gently. Diego parted his lips and gritted his teeth, glaring at Manny, seething in anger. Manny considered taking a step back.

" Honestly, _no_. " Diego replied.

" Do you need anythi- "

" _No_. " Diego paused. " Actually, if we could be left alone, that would be nice. " The herd looked at each other, before slowly backing away. Once they were out of sight, Diego sighed. He turned to look at Sid, who stared back at him in shock. Diego's face fell, and he looked away. " I'm sorry. " he whispered.

" I'm just, I can't, " Diego sighed again. He felt Sid lay a hand on his shoulder.

" Diego, I know somethings wrong. Can you tell me? " he asked. Diego didn't respond. He felt something wet slide down his cheek. It tasted like salt. He closed his eyes, and let the rest of the salty water droplets fall. " Diego? "

" Sid, " Diego inhaled. " I'm sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry and it would mean everything if you could forgive me. " Diego replied. He turned to see Sid staring at him confused.

" Of course I forgive you. You're my buddy! Everyone gets a little irritable now and then. " Sid replied.

" Thank you, Sid. " Diego replied. " But that's not what I meant. " Sid blinked.

" Well, then, what _did_ you mean? " the sloth asked. Diego had to gather all of his courage to reply. " What else could you want forgiveness for? " Diego's mouth went dry.

" For not taking care of you, like I should have. "

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><p>How was that? I don't blame you if you absolutely <em>hate<em> this story, it is pretty strange. Just no flames please.


	3. Chapter 3: I'm Sorry

Hello everyone! Another update, I just really wanna' continue with this! Okay, I admit this chapter was really short, but there was quite a bit of stuff in it, sort of. There was drama, yea. Hopefully, the line breaks will show in this chapter. Anyway, please enjoy and review!

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><p>Who's Boy?<p>

Chapter 3: I'm Sorry

Sid stared at Diego in shock. " Not_ taking care of me? _" he thought incredulously. " What on earth are you talking about? You've taken care of me the only way you could since I met you! " Sid exclaimed. Diego sighed.

" Sid- "

" I mean, how could you think that? "

" You don't remember. " Diego stated. Sid opened his mouth to continue ranting, but stopped, letting hang open.

" I don't, remember? " he asked. Diego nodded.

" You were too young to remember, and your life had a lot of changes at that age. " he continued.

" Changes? What changes? What are you talking about? " he asked. Diego grimaced, and turned away.

" I'm sorry Sid, I didn't mean to, I, I just thought it was best. " he stuttered. Sid practically wrenched Diego's shoulder out as he spun him around so they faced each other. Diego was surprised at the sloth's sudden strength.

" Sorry about _what_? " he insisted. Diego looked into Sid's eyes, and saw all the feelings the sloth had ever felt for him. But he did not see what he wanted to. He felt his eyes moisten.

" You wouldn't understand. " he whispered. Sid's determined face fell slack. Diego felt his throat tighten, trying to force back a sob. " I'm so, so, sorry. " he whispered. There was a long, long lapse of silence. Diego broke away from Sid, and walked to the edge of the cave. Sid watched him walk away, and suddenly felt another wave of de ja vou.

" Diego! " he said before he could stop himself. It took him a moment to realize how desperate and fearful his voice sounded. Diego stopped, and slowly turned to look at him. " Please, don't leave me. I'm confused. And well, there's no one else here except us. " he pleaded. Diego felt as though he didn't know whether to smile or cry.

" How about I go see if Ellie will come fix you up? I'll come back with her. " Diego compromised. Sid smiled a little and nodded. Diego smiled at him for a moment, then turned back around and started off. Even though his smile stayed plastered to his lips, a lone tear rolled down his cheek. He had sounded the same way he did all those years ago. Diego looked up to see the rest of the herd enjoying themselves beneath an oak tree. His smile lessened, " I promise Sid, no matter what, I'll make it all up to you. "

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><p>Was it good? Again, I know it was really short, but I think it was okay. Sid's entering the dawning faze, but the light of day still has yet to come! Dontcha' just love my metaphors? No one's explained that first one yet.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: Could You Tell Me?

Hello Readers & Reviewers! How is everyone? Enjoying it so far? Hating it? Well no matter! It shall continue! This madness shall not stop yet! I'm surprised no one can guess what Diego did. Maybe I'm just better at hiding secrets than I thought!

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><p>Who's Boy?<p>

Chapter 4: Could You Tell Me?

Sid sighed and sat down. How did Diego know about his childhood? Did he know something Sid didn't? For the first time, Sid thought about how his dreams tied to his life. If he had been adopted by sabers as a newborn, then he couldn't have been born into the family that he lived with before the herd! Just how many adoptive families had he been through? And how did Diego tie into all this?

He thought over what Diego had said to him. " _Could he… No, that's not possible. _" he thought, and shook his head wearily. He heard heavy footfalls that sounded like miniature earthquakes, and looked up to see Diego leading Ellie back to the cave. He smiled; Diego always seemed like the leader type to him. Yet he was just fine with obeying commands.

The said saber sat down next to him, while Ellie stood in front of him. " Alright, let's see what I can do for you sweetheart. " Ellie said brightly. Sid smiled. Ellie gently applied a few herbal tonics to Sid's wounds; it stung Sid a little, and strangely enough, Diego always jumped at the chance to comfort Sid's pain. Sid always assured him he was fine, but Diego insisted on staying by his side. Sid was grateful to have a friend like Diego, even if he wasn't always the caring type. Even after Ellie finished tending to Sid and left the cave, Diego stayed with him.

Sid leaned against Diego's shoulder, " You know, I didn't think you cared so much. " he said. Diego turned to him with a grim smile.

" It's unbelievable isn't it? " he replied. Sid chuckled.

" Well, not completely. You've softened up quite a bit the past few years. " Sid replied. Diego lost his smile and raised an eyebrow. " But you still got an edge. " Diego's frown turned playful and he gently punched Sid's shoulder, then smiled. Sid smiled back. " Diego, I don't really know too much about you. " Diego once again lost his smile.

" Does that concern you? " he asked genuinely. Sid nodded.

" I want to know about you, who you are. I hardly know you and yet, your my best friend. " Sid shuffled his position. " That's not the best terms I think best friends should be on. " Sid watched as Diego pulled an uncomfortable face.

" Well, " he squeaked. " What do you want to know? " he asked, his voice returning to normal. Sid shrugged.

" Where were you born? "

" A place we sabers call 'The Pack Grounds'. "

" What's that? "

" It's a place to the far north. From here at least. My parents migrated with the seasons because the food source of their pack migrated. My mother was in the middle of third term when they arrived at The Pack Grounds. That was the place where the pack could have a home and be close enough to the herbivores without them knowing where they were. My father was returning from a hunt when one of the females ran up to him and said my mother was in labor. " Diego stopped here and chuckled.

" He was lucky she wanted him to be there when I was born. Otherwise the females would have put up a pretty good fight to keep him away. "

" What were your parents' names? "

" My mother was Ashton. She had light, creamy orange fur all over, with icy green eyes. My father's name was Percy. He had the same fur as me, orange up top, white underbelly, inside of the legs, under the chin. His eyes were a dark, foresty green. " Diego titled his head upwards. " I think they said my eye color is from my great great great grandmother on my dad's side. "

" Did you get any features from your mother? "

" Eye shape and mouth. " Diego raised and eyebrow. " Why on such a depth? " Sid shrugged.

" Just curious. Dad? "

" Ears, fur, build. "

" Who did you act like as a child? " Sid asked. Diego drew a blank.

" Um, well... my mom often said that I was rough and playful like my dad, and, my dad usually said I liked to think and investigate things like my mother. " Diego replied.

" What did your parents think of the opposite gender? " Diego sighed in exasperation.

" Well, my mother thought males were just usually misinformed on girls and how to treat them. My dad thought girls had muscle and all, but they just didn't prefer to use it sometimes, which irked him. They weren't like, _repelled _by each other, but they knew that some individuals had things a little mixed up. " he replied. Sid was silent for a few moments, much to Diego's relief.

" Did they play with you? "

" ...Yeah my dad, he wrestled with me, pouncing practice, tag, taught me how to hunt. My mother would do the same, but she taught me other stuff too. I got to play with the other cubs in the pack as well. " Diego replied.

" Sounds like you had a good childhood. " Sid muttered, sad that he had not grown up around loving parents and other children who wanted to play with him. " I didn't have hardly _any_ friends when I was a kid. " he moped. He felt a paw on his shoulder.

" Don't worry Sid, those kids just didn't know what they were missing. Besides, you've got a ton of great friends now, right? " Diego assured him. Sid smiled up at him.

" Yeah, I guess you're right. " Diego smiled down at him. " Hey Diego? "

" Yeah? "

" Would you, do something with me? When I'm in better condition? " he asked. Diego stared at him.

" Like what? "

" I don't know, just a little friendship thing, you know do something together, be friends. " Sid replied. Diego looked indecisive. Sid gave him his best puppy dog eyes. Diego snickered.

" Alright, I'll come! " he conceded. Sid smiled and managed to wrap his arms around Diego. The saber chuckled.

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><p>How was it? I'm doing my best to keep them in character, I think I'm better at writing stories where someone has this big secret that makes them act differently, or something like my Ice Age Pirates story. Oh well, please review!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5: You Have To

Who's Boy?

Chapter 5: You Have To

A week passed. Then two weeks. Soon, a third week finished. After a month, Sid's injuries were completely healed. And he took his chance eagerly.

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><p>Diego looked at the fruit in his paw. Sid had called it a 'ripe mango'. The sloth was convinced that if a saber tried, it could live off fruits and vegetables. And he was determined to see Diego at least taste fruit. " Are you <em>sure<em> this thing isn't, like- "

" Diego for goodness sakes! It doesn't have any poisonous effect on predators or any thing similar to that! It's sweet and juicy! Just take a bite! " Sid assured him. Diego looked uncomfortably at the piece of fruit, then sighed. Closing his eyes, he took a bit out of the mango, and chewed. After a moment, he opened his eyes. " And? " Sid asked. Diego shrugged.

" It's sweet, a little _too_ sweet, a little, mm, _tangy_. " he replied. He suddenly stopped chewing.

" What is it? " Sid asked. Diego looked at him pleadingly. Sid blinked, then rolled his eyes. " Yes, you have to. " he said. Diego gave him a gesture of 'Come on, do I_ really_ have to?' " Yes Diego, _swallow_ it. " Diego moaned.

"_Why did I agree to this? _" he thought. He swallowed the mashed up fruit, holding a paw in front of his mouth. He shivered once it was out of his throat.

" Please tell me I don't have to do that again. " he pleaded. Sid chuckled.

" You don't. " Diego sighed in relief.

" But you know, you can do more than eat these things. " Sid said, indicating the pile of mangoes he was sitting next to. Diego raised his eyebrows.

" Oh? Like what? " No sooner were the words out of his mouth, Diego felt a mass of something splat onto his face, its mashed contents sticking to his fur and its juices dribbling down his chin. Sid's laughter followed soon after. He frowned in rage for a moment, before realizing Sid only meant to play. He hadn't played in a while, but he figured he could learn this game. He grinned and wiped some of the sticky fruit out of his eyes.

" Oh so _this_ is how it is, is it? " he asked. Sid immediately stopped laughing. He only had a second to look at Diego's playfully evil smirk before getting a taste of his own medicine. Diego threw the mango so hard, and they were so close to each other, that Sid was forced backwards onto the ground, his legs in the air. Diego practically doubled over laughing. Suddenly though, he heard sniffles.

His laughing interrupted, he saw Sid partially sitting up, his head turned away, shoulder shaking, sniffles emitting from his hidden nose. Diego instantly felt guilty. He stood up and leaned over Sid. " _Man I'm such and idiot! How could I hurt _him_ of all animals? _" he thought. " Sid? Sid are you okay?

" I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- " He was interrupted by a loud splash that emitted from a mango squashed all over his face. Sid fell back onto the ground, laughing hysterically. Once again wiping the stuff off of his eyes, Diego smiled ruefully. " That's it! This is war! " he exclaimed. The two jumped up and climbed up separate mango trees, throwing their ammo to the ground in big piles.

They then took refuge behind two different trees, and waited. Diego was the first to strike.

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><p>Crash and Eddie weren't doing anything particular, just minding their own business, when joyous laughter of a voice they didn't recognize pealed from the forest to their left. Accompanying it was Sid's laughter. The two wondered if the sloth had met another male that actually enjoyed his company. Scurrying through the trees, they followed the laughter until they came upon Sid hiding behind a tree, with a pile of... mangoes? In fact, he was covered in squashed mangoes and their juice. They wondered who on earth would participate in a mango war with Sid, and their question was answered when Diego jumped out from behind another tree and threw a mango at Sid. The sloth barely managed to dodge the oncoming missile before firing himself.<p>

The mango caught Diego's side, leaving a streak of messy juice. He jumped back behind his own tree with an evil grin. It took the possums a moment to realize that both comrades were having _fun_. Shocked, the twins watched the mango war continue, both competitors becoming more and more messy, until the trees had run out of mangoes for them to throw. Things were calm, temporarily. " I know where we can find a watermelon patch! " Sid exclaimed excitedly, then ran off with a grin. Diego sprinted after him.

It soon became a race to see who could reach the watermelons first. When they reached their destination, Diego and Sid's fruit war continued. They threw and laughed, pulled out handfuls of the watermelon's fruit and threw it at each other, and then laughed some more. Soon, the two had run out of energy, and lay in the grass, their heads next to each other, but their bodies in two different directions. They lay like that for a while, just laughing. They finally heaved two great sighs, and became silent. " You know, I haven't had this much fun since The Chasm of Death. " Diego commented. Sid chuckled.

" Isn't that the place where if you breath in the gas you can die laughing? " he asked. Diego chuckled.

" Yeah, but uh, I wasn't in my right mind at that point in time so, heh. "

" You were in your left mind? " Sid asked. They both laughed again.

" Of course, I haven't had fun _like_ this since I was what, seventeen? " Diego continued.

" _Seventeen_? " Sid asked, shocked. Diego frowned.

" Yeah, once you reach eighteen, your kinda' expected to be a regular adult, even though your still a teenager. That means no running around, no playing games, just tending to your work and watching over the younger ones. " Diego sighed. " Sometimes I, almost couldn't handle the boredom. " Sid frowned compassionately at his friend.

" That sounds terrible! Where I come from, your not an adult at all until your twenty. " he replied.

" Good for you. " Diego said.

" Besides, adults need to have fun too. " Sid continued. Diego smiled. They were silent for a while. Crash and Eddie decided it was time to head home, thinking Diego and Sid would do the same soon.

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><p>Diego was uneasy with the silence that was engulfing him and Sid. " <em>Hey, today is Friday! <em>" he realized. He looked up at the sky; it was almost evening. He grinned and sat up, " Hey Sid? " His sloth comrade sat up as well.

" Yeah Diego? "

" I've got something I want _you_ to do now. " he said. Sid raised an eyebrow.

" What's that? " he asked. Diego chuckled.

" First, we need to wash off. "

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><p>After a bath in a nearby spring, Diego led Sid to a place he went every Friday night. He led the sloth through the forest, up a rocky incline, and finally to the outskirts of a human camp. Sid was terrified instantly, and turned to make a run for it. Diego snagged Sid's scruff with a claw, " Come on mister, you <em>have<em> to do this. " he said. Sid just whimpered, and followed Diego around to the southern end of the camp. All the humans were sitting gathered around a big fire, with some of the humans stood in front of them with strange looking tools. Sid pointed at them.

" What are those for? " he asked. Diego smiled.

" You'll see. " he replied. " Or rather, _hear_. " Sid stared at him in confusion, but nonetheless turned his attention back to the humans. He crouched down fearfully, praying that none of the humans would see them and attack. He felt a paw on his shoulder, and turned to see Diego smiling kindly down at him. " Don't worry, we're perfectly safe. " he assured the sloth. Sid nervously sat up on his knees, which granted him a much better view.

Suddenly, a sound reached Sid's ears, a sound he had never heard before. He realized one of the humans was blowing in the tool he was holding, while covering and uncovering certain holes that had been drilled into it. As he watched, more humans joined in, some blowing through their tools, some hitting their tools, some strumming, all compiling their individual sounds to make something that sounded wonderful. One of them even started singing in the human language. " Whoa. " he breathed. Diego chuckled.

" It's called music. " he said. Sid glanced up at him, then back at the humans. He could hardly believe that something as destructive as humans could create such beautiful 'music'. He smiled and sighed contentedly. Soon, the humans finished their song, and Sid thought Diego would leave. But as the humans applauded, Diego still sat on the ridge looking over the humans. Sid stayed as well, confused. But the humans started up another song, and Sid became too captivated to stay confused.

There were three more songs after that, and then the whole affair was over. Diego led Sid back home, and the two arrived just in time for dinner. Sid enjoyed his dinner while Diego went off to hunt. The herd bedded down that night with two of its members feeling exceptionally happy.

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><p>So how was chapter 5? Sorry if it took me too long to update, but I hope you all are enjoying so far. Review!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6: Adopted?

Hello! I'm back with chapter 6! And chapter 7 may soon follow! But for now you'll just have to see how Diego is coping with his secret. Enjoy!

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><p>Who's Boy?<p>

Chapter 6: Adopted?

Diego woke up early the next morning, before dawn. He spread his jaws in a wide yawn, allowing a small whine to escape. He looked around at the herd with drowsy, half closed eyes. Giving his head a good shake, he rose to his feet and stretched. He proceeded out of the home cave, and looked at the sky, still lit with a few stars. The moon was gone, and the sun had yet to make its appearance. Diego smiled; he liked this time of day, the in between night and day.

He made his way over to a group of flat rocks laid out a few yards from the cave's yawning entrance, often used for sun tanning by yours truly. He laid on his back on a particularly smooth one, and stared at the sky. He believed in God; it was a simple statement, and he was proud of it. He believed that God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh, and that was an action to be followed by his believers. He believed his son Jesus died on the cross for the humans and their sin, so they could be with him in heaven. Animals, however, had no need for such a thing. They were not created with souls, and therefore did not go 'up' or 'down' after death.

But the humans knew animals, and so he assumed God would put them in heaven for the humans. He also believed that God and Jesus communicated with their believers, and he sent them things, and took things away. And ever since that day when he was twenty, he wondered if God had sent him that baby, and why. If he had, then had Diego totally screwed it up? He had loved that baby, and yet he gave it away. It had seemed like the right idea at the time, but with every passing day since then, it seemed more and more like a mistake. And now he knew the adult that baby had grown into.

" Why? " he asked the cloudless, dark sky. Or rather, the being up past the sky where he could not see Him. " If I messed up so bad, why am I with him now? What am I supposed to do for him? He's all grown up. It's not like I can cradle him and put him to sleep any more. " Diego sighed.

" _You must do what you can. _" Diego sprang up to his feet in a split second, and swiftly looked around. It took him a moment to realize that the voice had been in his mind. " _You can show him ho much you care, and you can tell him the truth. _" Diego sat down and slumped over.

" But…what if he's upset? What if he hates me? " he asked aloud. In the recesses of his mind, he realized he didn't exactly know who he was talking to, but he had a guess, even if the chances of that guess being true were slim.

" _What if he does? I'll always love you. I always have. _" the voice replied. Diego blinked and stared up at the sky. The first light of dawn had appeared, giving the horizon an orange hue. A handful of stars still shone.

" Are you who I think you are? " he asked, looking around.

" _Who do you think I am? _" Diego did not reply, reveling in the awe that his small hunch was apparently correct. " _Don't be afraid Diego, when the time comes, the truth is always best. _" the voice said. Diego stared up at the sky once more.

" Will you help me? " he asked in a whisper. The chilly, pre-morning air that had clung to his fur in dewdrops disappeared, and was replaced with warmth. Loving warmth. He wrapped his arms around himself, as though they could keep the warmth around him. He smiled, realizing what the voice's answer was. For a moment, he felt as if he wasn't afraid of anything, and he just wanted to sit in this warmth forever. He watched the sunrise with appreciative eyes, and a calm heart.

" Thanks. " he said. The voice didn't reply, but Diego knew He had heard him. Sighing in content, he stood and went off to find some breakfast, the warmth still all around him.

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><p>Sid awoke when the sun was high in the sky, blazing its heat down through the atmosphere to the animals far below it. Yawning widely, he sat up and scratched his belly. After rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes, he stood and cracked his back. He saw Diego sitting outside the home cave, his back to the sloth. Smiling, Sid strode over and plopped down next to his friend, deciding he could look for food later. " Morning buddy! How've you been? " he greeted. Diego turned his head to look at his sloth friend, and smiled genuinely.<p>

" Hey Sid. It's been okay. " He began to look uncomfortable. " Sid, I uh, " Sid watched him curiously. " I think I should, " Sid tilted his head. " I need to tell you, " Diego paused in his rambling and sighed, then smiled brightly once more. " Did you enjoy yourself yesterday? " he asked. Sid smiled back.

" Of course I did! No one's played with me in like, EVER. I didn't know it was that easy to get you to play with me. " he replied. Diego chuckled.

" Believe me Sid, it shouldn't be hard to get me to do _anything_ for _you_. " he said.

" Why is that? " Sid asked. Diego shrugged.

" Well, you're my friend, friends do things for each other. " he replied. He gave the sloth a small smirk. Sid smiled back, and stood.

" Well, I think I'll go find breakfast. See ya' round! " Sid said, and waddled off into the brush.

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><p>Diego smiled as he watched Sid's form waddle away into the bushes, before frowning angrily and thumping his heat with his fist. " I am such a yellow-bellied saber. " he moaned to himself. Sighing, he looked up at the sky. " Maybe it just wasn't the right time. " he said to himself. " Maybe I'm supposed to tell him later. " Diego sat and stared at the sky for a little while longer, before a putrid odor invaded his nose. Wrinkling it, he turned in the direction the smell was coming from, and slowly stalked through the bushes.<p>

For a while, the scent stayed the same; faint, but still existent. After a long while, it finally became stronger. It steadily grew until Diego found a couple of humans in a small clearing between some trees. He gasped when he saw a blue spear painted on their top pieces of clothing. Horrible memories flashed through his mind, and he closed his eyes, jerking his head away from them. He could hear that they were in deep conversation, and their tones did not sit well with him. He watched as one of them scowled at the other and spread his arms, talking an irritated manner, and Diego had a bad feeling they were talking about the entire valley.

He laid his ears flat against his head, and swallowed. Whatever these humans were up to, it was something big. Big and destructive. Silently, he backed away, then turned and fled. His heart pounded, not from the exhilarating run, but from the fear the two humans had planted in it. His thoughts flew to Sid; the sloth could very possible be in danger if he correctly surmised what the humans were planning. In fact, he could be in danger that very moment!

Diego was temporarily frozen on the inside, his legs running, gobbling up the miles, while his mind didn't know what course of thought to take. He decided to at least go find the sloth and make sure he was in no imminent danger. He returned to the home cave, and put his nose to the ground. There were any different scent trails from Sid, so he picked out the freshest one and headed off. He soon found the sloth sitting in front of a blueberry bush, stuffing his mouth. Diego sighed in relief, and sat down, watching the sloth from a distance. He wasn't about to let something bad to him happen while he was off guard.

It wasn't long before Sid finished, and he stood and waddled off in another direction. Diego followed him wherever he went, nervous that something bad would happen. Sid did a surprisingly large amount of walking around, more than Diego had expected. He followed the sloth all around the valley, finally stopping in a large field. Sid walked out into the open, while Diego stayed within the trees. Sid suddenly stopped, then turned and eyed the trees. His eyes soon rested on Diego, and the sloth smiled smugly. He crossed his arms, and continued to stare at Diego, although the saber was sure he was completely concealed.

Sid made a motion with his fingers, as though he wanted Diego to walk over. " Come on genius, you can't hide from me. " he said. Diego felt his cheeks go scarlet, and laid his ears back in embarrassment. Righting his composure, he stepped out of the trees, and walked until he stood in front of the sloth, then sat down. Sid put his hands on his hips. " I knew it! " he stated, and smiled smugly for another moment. Then he frowned in confusion and spread his hands.

" So, what do you want? " he asked. Diego began to feel nervous.

" I just thought, you know, what with all the stuff you've caused us the past few years, maybe someone should watch you and keep you out of trouble. For your own good, I mean you never know when something will attack you. " he replied. Sid raised an eyebrow. A slow smirk decorated his features.

" So, you were worried about me? " he asked.

" Yes. " Diego replied before he could stop himself, then grimaced. " _Way to go, loose-lips. _" he thought. Sid's smirk lightened.

" Hey, don't feel bad. Personally, you're the first I've know to actually _supervise_ me. " he said. Diego released his smirk, and stared at him quizzically.

" What's that supposed to mean? " he asked. Sid shrugged and frowned a little.

" Well, my parents, er, my _adoptive_ parents never really took interest in me, only when I played with the kids they already had. If they had kids. " he replied. Diego raised his eyebrows.

" You knew you were adopted? " he asked, before slapping a paw over his mouth. Sid stared at him.

" Well, I mean, I _think_ I was adopted. How do you know? " he asked. Diego removed his paw.

" Well, even sabers know what love is, and, I've seen very few families of any sort that don't love all of their members, so I figured you were adopted when you talked about your family. " he replied.

" _Why do you lie? _" Diego slightly winced. He knew who that voice was. Sid shrugged.

" Yeah, well, it was really a guess, unless of course what you're saying is true and I _was_ adopted. " he said.

" _You must at least try to tell him the truth. _" the voice said. Diego sighed.

" _But how? _" he asked mentally. " Well, I think I've seen you before, when you were really little. " he said. Sid's eyes widened.

" Really? "

" Yeah, but I mean, I could be wrong, I've seen a lot of herbivores living in a pack, so it could have been some other sloth kid. "

" _Keep going. _"

" What did this kid look like? " Sid asked.

" Oh, he looked a lot like you, traveled with a group of red pelted sloths, he was the only yellow one. I figured he had to be adopted, unless of course it was just rare genes. " Diego replied.

" _You are making up excuses for the truth. _" the voice said. Diego sighed again.

" _I know, I'm sorry, I'm trying. _" he replied in his mind.

" Well, a few of the members of the sloth family I used to live with were red pelted. " Sid said. Diego shrugged. Before another word could be said, the possum twins rushed up to them.

" Guys! " Crash exclaimed. " You've gotta' come now! "

" Humans are attacking! " Eddie added. Diego's eyes widened and he looked at Sid, who stared back at him fearfully. He frowned in determination and turned back to the twins.

" You two go back to Manny and Ellie. Tell them we'll be there as soon as possible. " he said. The two possums saluted and scurried off through the trees. Diego turned back to Sid. He laid his paws on the sloth's shoulders. " Sid, I'm gonna' escort you back to the home cave, and I want you to stay there until this is all blown over, all right? " he said. Sid swallowed and nodded. Diego nodded, then turned and began walking back toward the trees, Sid following.

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><p>So how was it? Was it great? Good? Bad? Do any of you still think it's horrible? Hopefully not. So anyway, yeah, I'm a Christian so I thought maybe I should just slip a little bit of that in the story, if you all get what I mean. It's not like there's anything wrong with it. Review please!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7: Vague Vision

YAY! chapter 7 is here! It might not be very long, but I hope you enjoy it. This chapter includes the reason I rate this T. It was just a weird idea I had so, please don't flame me for i. I'm sorry if it doesn't uhhh... well, never mind. Just read and review.

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><p>Who's Boy?<p>

Chapter 7: Vague Vision

Sid waddled as fast as his legs could carry him after Diego's form, his mind slowly shutting down out of fear. Humans were dangerous things, and he couldn't help but feel a certain terror of them for some unknown reason. But if it was humans, he was probably right. Diego led him to the home cave, or at least part of the way. As they got closer and closer, cries and shouts became loud and distinct, and Diego led Sid around a massive fight between humans and animals. If you could call it that. From the few glimpses Sid took, it looked more like the animals population was being slaughtered.

He shivered and tried to keep up with Diego. The saber stopped a few yards away from the cave, and turned to Sid. " Sid, can you make it the res of the way? " he asked. Sid looked at the distance between them and the cave. Despite how short it was, he knew he would feel safer with Diego protecting him on the way.

" _Yeah well, it's time you ought to man up, Sidney. Diego's done what he can, and now you gotta' finish this. _" he thought to himself. Swallowing, he stood straighter and nodded. Diego allowed a small smile to play on his lips. He thought he heard the saber mutter something but he turned and fled into the fray before Sid could ask. Once the feline was out of sight, he took a deep breath and made a beeline for the home cave. However, his goal was not to be reached.

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><p>Diego smiled as Sid stood up straight and tried to be brave, giving a nod. He allowed a small smile to appear on his lips. " That's my boy. " he whispered, then turned and shot off into the battle. His eyes searched for the other herd members while he dogded flying spears and attacking humans. He finally found Manny trying to protect Peaches, while Ellie was keeping the humans away from her brothers. Deciding Manny could handle his own situation, he charged in and aided Ellie. After significantly lowering the number of humans attacking the mammoth and her brothers, his ears received a horrible sound.<p>

Above the din, he heard a scream of terror, a scream that could only be made by one sloth. His worry for Sid escalating, he quickly climbed up a nearby tree to see if he could find the sloth. As if their problems weren't troublesome enough, the clouds, which had been gathering, finally releasing a torrent of water, almost instantly drenching everything uncovered. Diego growled to himself, and searched the area for Sid. He spotted the sloth just outside the home cave, surrounded by humans.

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><p>Sid stood frozen, surrounded by five humans. He looked at each on of them as they circled him, his lips trembling, his heart pounding. His breath came in rasps, and he could already feel the sharp spear point jabbing into his flesh. He placed his hands on his chest nervously, and turned in circles, looking around at his attackers, moaning fearfully. One human jabbed at him, causing the sloth to instinctively jump to the side. The humans took turns jabbing at Sid with their spears, causing the sloth to jump around in a manner that would have been humorous had the situation not been so deadly. Sid finally gave up and sat down on the ground, curling into a ball like he had before.<p>

His most recent encounter with humans burned fresh in his mind, and he was terrified of reliving it. His thought flew to Diego, figuring the saber was off fighting a number of humans greater than the ones surrounding him. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he wished the saber was with him. He did his best to avoid injury, but inevitably, one or two of the humans scraped or bruised him. He yelped each time, and fought for escape, but it was in vain. He could hardly defend himself, and he couldn't escape.

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><p>Diego felt himself quivering; not with fatigue or fear. No, it was anger. Anger that Sid was once again in danger by humans, and that these were the same humans that had attacked all those years ago. He wouldn't give them another chance, not in a million years. Sid was his and his alone. He wasn't about to let some power hungry humans take away the one thing that belonged to him. He jumped from the tree and slammed onto the muddy ground, looking in the direction Sid was, he growled lowly.<p>

Then, his legs seemed to kick into a state of no stopping. He shot through the crowd, but soon he found that the battle had massed to a point where he couldn't get through. Thinking quick, he looked to see a mass of rock to his right, and started climbing. Once he was above the mess on the ground, he maneuvered to a point to where he could jump down and defend Sid.

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><p>Sid laid on the ground, once again covered in bruises and blood. He peered up at the humans, whimpering. One of them stepped forward, raising a spear above his head. Sid saw a blue spear painted on the front of his top, and his body and mind froze. A face flashed before his eyes. He wasn't sure what it was, or if he knew who the face belonged to, all he caught was a flash of orange, white, and green, backgrounded by blue. He let his mouth hang open, before everything flashed back to normal. Then, he had only a moement to remember what was going on, before another orange blur knocked the human over. He gasped and covered his head with his hands. He peeked out to see the other four humans backing away while Diego wrestled the attacking human away from Sid. He watched as their rolling came to a halt with Diego on top. Sid's eyes were glued to the scene, although he knew that if Diego had the upper hand, things were about to get messy even if they were going in the animals' favor. Turned out he was right.<p>

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><p>Diego glared into the human's eyes. The blue spear on his top piece of clothing clearly signalling that he was one of <em>them<em>. He huffed into the man face through his nose, and he stared fearfully at Diego. " _I, have had enough. _" he thought. He reached down and gripped the human's throat in his jaws, tightly. The human cried out in pain, but Diego wasn't satisfied. He wanted the human to suffer the way _he_ had.

He pulled back, which pulled the humans head forward over its chest. The cries continued, but Diego wasn't finished. As he continued to pull, he heard loud snapping sounds, and the screaming slowly ceased.

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><p>Sid watched in growing horror as Diego gripped the human's neck in his jaws and pulled. Loud snapping, cracking sounds reached his ears, as well as the humans around him gasping. Sid's eyes widened as Diego continued to pull, and the most horrifying scene he had ever witnessed unfolded. The human's neck slowly detached from its shoulders. It wasn't long before Diego had beheaded the man underneath him. Sid at that point gasped and looked away, covering his face with his hands. He didn't want the image, but it stuck fast in his mind.<p>

He could hear the other humans screaming and running away. But nothing could penetrate his senses very well. He had just seen his best fried bring someone, a human, but nonetheless, to a gruesome ending. He quivered weakly, feeling the desire to vomit. He slowly uncovered his eyes and looked at his friend. Diego no longer held the human head in his mouth, but Sid shielded the body from his view. Blood adorned the saber's muzzle, and he looked at the dead human in great anger, his eyes pits of fire.

He tipped his own head back and roared. It was a roar that Sid felt penetrate deep into his own heart and soul. He could feel years of anguish, despare, anger, and depression flowing from Diego's jaws. The sound caused his own heart to stop, and listen in awe. Anyone near them stopped and turned their eyes to the scene, most immedietly turning away once more in disgust. Diego released roar after roar, exposing his teeth, streaking terror through all nearby. Sid soon got over the terror of Diego's roars, and felt the full emotional experience that the saber was releasing.

As each roar ripped through his eardrums, Sid felt tears sliding down his cheeks from the grief, forlorness, everything he heard. Diego finally stopped, and lowered his head, gritting his teeth in an angry scowl. Most of the viciousness had left his eyes, but Sid still took precaution in approaching him. " Diego? " he asked quietly. The saber's eyes looked up at him, and became calmer. Apologetic, even. He released his teeth and stared at Sid with wide eyes.

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><p>There was a long silence, the still raging battle long forgotten. " Sid, I... " Diego tried to speak, but failed to get more than two words out. Had Sid seen what he'd done? What was he thinking? What had <em>he<em> been thinking? " _Oh yeah, that I'd had enough. _" he remembered.

" _Such violence, much bloodshed. But why? _" the voice asked. Diego cringed guiltily.

" _I'm sorry, please forgive my rashness. _" he thought. Diego looked down at the dead human in shame. This was why humans despised them so much; when sabers got too angry, they attacked ferociously. He swallowed. " Sid, I'm sorry. " was all he could utter.

" Hey, you were trying to protect me. No hard feelings. " Sid said. Diego felt him place a hand on his head. He looked up at the sloth, who smiled down at him. Him and his muzzle dripping with blood. Diego couldn't help but smile back. He tipped his head back and rubbed his nose against Sid's hand. The sloth giggled, delight shining in his eyes.

Diego stood up and stepped off the body. " Come on, let's get you inside. " he said. Sid complied, walking alongside him. It was only after the two walked inside the cave's entrance and turned back around did they see and remember the battle going on. " Well, guess I'd better get going. " Diego said, and shot off.

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><p>Sid smiled after Diego. Despite everything going on, he couldn't help but feel happy. Why? He wasn't sure. He laid down the back of the cave, staring at the ceiling. He sighed, and closed his eyes. Maybe it was best to take a nap.<p>

But as he drifted off into the land of nod, that face once again appeared in front of his eyes. Although now, he could make out a head and two long teeth, before the image disappeared and he drifted off.

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><p>So, who saw that special word I put in? Hm? Here's a clue: 'Welcome to Moe's!" Anyone else know that restaurant?<p> 


	8. Chapter 8: A Bit Too Big

Chapter 8 is here! Celebrate and cheer! So I decided to give this story a little twist, if you could call it that, but this won't be the only interesting thing that happens! Enjoy!

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><p>Who's Boy?<p>

Chapter 8: A Bit Too Big, Dontcha' Think?

When the battle finally died down, the surviving animals ran for their lives, as the humans gathered up the dead animals they desired for use. Even so, the ground was still littered for about two miles with dead animal bodies, and the single human that lost its head. Manny, Ellie, Crash, Eddie, and Peaches thankfully were not killed. Manny and Ellie, however, were badly injured. Diego helped his mammoth friends to the home cave, switching constantly who he held up from falling. The couple was grateful when they could lay down in the comfort of their home, while Diego went to the back to look for Sid. He found the sloth curled up on the floor, sucking his thumb, probably dreaming.

He smiled. Walking over, he sat down next to him, and looked over his shoulder. No one in the herd had followed him; he couldn't see or smell anyone. Carefully, he reached down, and cradled Sid's face in his paw. He sighed happily. He would never forget those days. Sid began to stir, and Diego jerked his paw away as though it had been burned.

Sid rolled over on his back and stretched, yawning. Diego smiled at him, putting his paw on the floor. Sid smacked his lips and looked up at Diego. "Oh. Hey, what's up?"

"I could use your help tending to Manny and Ellie, they got hurt pretty badly." Diego replied. Sid stood up and followed the saber to the front of the cave.

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><p>Sid walked, following Diego to where their mammoth friends resided. While the saber's back was turned, he put a hand to his face, where Diego had held it with one paw. The touch had surprisingly awoken Sid, but he was too scared to really understand what was going on, and so feigned sleep for a few moments. When nothing threatened him, and the touch didn't increase to a painful degree, he had decided to properly awake and see who it was. He was shocked to see Diego sitting to his right, smiling down at him. He had acted as though he didn't know anything about the touch, but it greatly intrigued him.<p>

"Hey Diego?" he asked, removing his hand.

"Hm?" Sid wondered if it was best to reveal about his strange dreams.

"I've been having really weird dreams recently, about...being a baby." he said. Diego stopped, and turned to look at Sid.

"Being a..._baby_?" he asked, looking highly interested. Sid nodded.

"Yeah, I think it was something about my parents, but I don't understand them." he replied. Diego stared at him for another moment, before turning back around.

"Well, maybe you have a better memory than you think." he said. Diego started to walk once again. Sid took a moment to touch his face once more, before catching up.

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><p>"<em>When do you plan on telling him?<em>" Diego sighed mentally.

"_I don't know. I want to give him a good impression, so I don't wanna' choose the wrong time to tell him._" he thought back.

"_And you are also afraid._" Diego nodded physically.

"_Yes, I am still very afraid._" he thought back. Sighing, he picked up his pace as he saw Manny and Ellie. He sat down next to Manfred, and placed a paw on his shoulder. "Don't worry buddy, it's gonna' be alright." he said. "Sid! I need you to go find that plant Ellie uses when someone gets a cut." he commanded, looking over at the sloth. Sid nodded and waddled off.

He soon returned with some yarrow leaves, and under Ellie's instruction, crushed them, then put them in a hollowed out tree branch they used for a bowl in times of medicinal need, and made a paste out of it with some water.

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><p>The saber and sloth did their best to smear the yarrow over the mammoths' wounds, all the while muttering comforting phrases. When their work was done, Sid plopped down and tried to find something to do, while Diego walked off by himself. Intrigued, the possums snuck after him. He took the branch bowl with him, and collected a handful of more yarrow leaves, then crushed them and put them into the bowl. He journeyed on to a watering hole, and set the bowl down on its bank. Carefully, he stepped inside and lowered himself down, since it was quite deep, and hissed in pain.<p>

When he turned around to grab the bowl of yarrow leaves, he had to heave himself back up onto the bank. As he did so, the possums caught sight of a red, still bleeding gouge in his belly. He turned his back to them once more and sat on the edge. The twins were shocked; Diego had given no indication that he was hurt himself, he just tended to his friends and walked off when he was done to care for his own wounds. That was Diego, full of pride. Scurrying through a few trees, the possums moved around Diego so they could see what he was doing. He dipped the edge of the bowl into the water, and made another paste. Then he dipped his paw in the yarrow paste and smeared it on his stomach, hissing in pain and wincing.

When he was finished, he lay down on his side and fell asleep. The possums took a chance and scurried down the tree, over to their feline friend. They took a moment to observe the gouge; covered in the yellow paste, stopping his blood from flowing out of the wound. Crash patted the non-injured part of Diego's stomach, and Eddie went up by his head. He patted the saber's head, "Poor Diego." he muttered. Little did he know how true that statement was. Diego murmured in his sleep and shifted.

The twins stared at him in pity, wishing there was something they could do to help with his injury. They sat down a meter or so away, and watched his peaceful nap. An hour or so later, he started to move his head around and moan. Then he began to talk, "Sid...no." The twins glanced at each other, and made their way over. His facial expressions suggested pain as he thrashed about. "No...you can't...make me."

The boys tried to wake Diego from his misery, but to no avail. His moaning became more dramatic, and he began saying things the possums found strange. He finally snapped his eyes open and sat up with a gasp. He sat there panting, not seeming to notice Crash and Eddie. He suddenly frowned sadly, and wrapped his forelegs around himself. Then, the most shocking thing happened. He began to sob.

The twins, giving each other a look, each gently laid a hand on the saber. "Diego? Are you okay?" Eddie asked. Diego looked down at him; tears gathered in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks. He then looked over at Crash, and sighed.

"Can't you two go away?" he asked. Eddie rolled his eyes, and put a hand on his hip.

"No. Now tell us what's wrong." he replied. Diego raised an eyebrow at his boldness, and sighed again.

"You wouldn't understand." he said.

"Why not?" Crash asked. Diego closed his eyes.

"It's… it's complicated."

"We do all kinds of complicated stuff." Diego shook his head.

"That's not what I meant." he said.

"Diego come on, just tell us!" Eddie pleaded. Diego glared down at him.

"If I could I would!" he snapped. "But I can't." He placed his paws on the ground, and stormed off. The possums stared after him for a while, before turning to each other. Sighing, they hefted up the bowl and carried it back to the cave. When they arrived, Sid asked them if they knew where Diego was.

"No, we tried to talk to him, but he just snapped at us and stormed off." Crash replied.

"He seemed really upset about something. Something to do with you, I think." Eddie said. Sid blinked at them in surprise.

"Me? What did _I_ do to him?" he asked. Eddie shrugged.

"I don't know. He had a really bad dream and, started murmuring weird stuff about you." he replied, and shrugged again.

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><p>Sid watched Crash and Eddie scurry off, surprised. Did Diego's problem have something to do with the touch from earlier? Perhaps the human attack hours ago? He couldn't be sure. He left the home cave, and decided to talk a walk. He observed the scenery around him, thinking. "<em>I don't know what to think. <em>

_ "So much has happened, so much _is_ happening. What's up with Diego? What's up with me?_" Sid turned to look at a family of glyptodons. "_I think I was adopted by sabers. But could that have just been a dream? And whose face was that? _

"_It looked like a saber, but is that possible? Was it real? _" Sid sighed. He looked at the wreckage from the battle. Disgusting, dead bodies, destroyed plant life, bloodstained snow. It all made him feel like retching. "_Why do I ask myself so many questions?_" he wondered. Sighing again, he directed his eyes to his feet as they shuffled along, pushing through the snow, scuffing the ice beneath.

"_Beneath…. I wonder how Momma and the kids are doing. I wonder if Buck's done anything towards capturing Rudy yet. It would be nice to see them all again. _" Sid thought wistfully. Then, an idea struck him. It was crazy, and probably wouldn't work, but he thought it was worth a shot. Turning and heading back to the home cave, he allowed a slow grin to cover his face.

* * *

><p>Diego stared at Sid, unsure what his reply should be. He had never expected this sort of thing from the sloth, but he understood the reason for such a plan. He smiled. "Alright, sounds okay." he said. Then he turned serious, " But we're not going to stay long, I don't want Manny or Ellie getting upset." Sid grinned and whooped with joy. Diego couldn't help but smile again.<p>

He had not been there when Sid had tried to adopt a trio of baby dinos, but he would have liked to see the sloth try and care for them. He would have scouted around to make sure that where Sid had gotten the eggs from wasn't inhabited by the mother as well before giving the okay, but he would have liked to the see him get a little taste of parenthood. Just like Diego had. Now, the sloth figured maybe, Diego would take him back down into the utopia and check up on his kids. Diego would do so gladly, as long as they could get back up again. But there was a looming problem. "Of course, we have to figure out how to get down there first." he reminded the joyful sloth.

Sid's happy attitude instantly deflated. "Yeah, I didn't think of that." Diego chuckled.

"Well, who says there was only one cave that led down there? Buck may have sealed off one entrance, but there might be more that no one has found." An idea suddenly seemed to strike Sid, and he smiled.

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "I found the eggs in a cave underground! Momma must have gotten to that cave from the dino world, so there must be an entrance somewhere down there!" Diego smiled.

"Sid you're a genius!"

* * *

><p>After a few hours, Sid and Diego successfully arrived at the small hole in the ice where Sid had fallen about six months ago. Diego tilted his head and examined it. "Well, it's a little small for me, but I can fix that." he said. He took a fist, and rammed it down on the edge of the whole. A large chunk of ice fell off, extending the hole in one direction. He hit around the edge a few more times, before the hole was large enough for him to jump down into and not brush against the ice. He turned to Sid.<p>

"Why don't you go first? You've been here before." he reasoned. Sid nodded.

"Good idea." he replied. Looking down into the hole, he jumped in feet first. The jarring sense of his feet coming to a direct stop upon impact with rock rattled his entire body. When he had finally stopped shivering, and righted himself, he called up to Diego. "Come on, no one else is here." After a moment, Sid saw the saber's shape block out the sunlight, before being crushed with what he assumed to be at least four hundred pounds of muscle and flesh. He moaned, having had all his breath knocked out of him.

Diego instantly stood up and stared down at him worriedly. "Sid are you okay?" he asked worriedly. "I'm so sorry!" Sid coughed and sat up, Diego backing away to give the sloth space.

"Ugh, I'm alright. I guess I should have moved." He replied. Diego smiled at him and chuckled.

"Yeah, that might have been a good idea." He placed a paw on Sid's back. "You sure you're okay?" he asked. Sid nodded.

"I think I just need to breath." he rasped, before taking in a few deep breaths. Diego stared at him worriedly until he finished. When all was right, Diego looked around the ice cave.

"So, where did you find the eggs?" he queried. Sid slowly rose to his feet, Diego supporting him until he was balanced.

"Let's see, I walked forward mostly," he replied, and began walking. "then I saw the eggs over that way." he continued, turning to the right at a certain point, and walking over to the location he had found the eggs sitting together. Once standing at the location, Diego looked around, 'hmm'ing to himself. He suddenly spotted something. It to Sid's direct left, very faint, but recognizable. The mother tyrannosaurus's footprint in the dirt was still fresh in Diego's memory, and he recognized the almost invisible imprint in the thin layer of snow on the ice. "There!" he said, pointing.

Sid turned, but apparently could not make out what Diego could. " It's the momma dino's footprint, just barely there." He explained. Sid squinted, then his eyes widened, and he smiled.

"I see it!" he exclaimed.

"All we have to do is follow her footprints, and we'll probably find an entrance to the dino world!" Diego said. The two mammals started their trek, squinting into the snow and ice, following the faint trail laid out before them. After about two hours, Sid stopped and kneeled down, panting.

"Okay, I think I need a short breather." He said. Diego sat on his haunches.

" How about a ten minute break?" he asked. Sid nodded.

"Yeah, that should about do it." he replied. In ten minutes, Diego and Sid resumed their tracking. After about twenty minutes, the ice began to turn brown, and lifted their spirits.

"We must be close." Diego said.

* * *

><p>As the ice turned into thick, rich soil, Diego contemplated telling Sid the truth. Maybe, while they had this small bit of time alone, Diego could confess to Sid the horrible mistake he had made so long ago. "Hey Diego?"<p>

"Yeah?"

"How long do you think it will take us to find Momma and the kids?" Sid asked.

"I don't know. They could be anywhere. Momma Dino may avoid this place now." Diego replied. Sid looked downcast. "But maybe not. We might uh, come across a carcass or something, and figure out which direction she's in." he said, trying to help the sloth stay optimistic. Sid brightened up once more.

Diego could tell that the thought of seeing the baby dinos again greatly delighted Sid. He smiled, remembering how joyful he had felt when he realized who Sid was. As the continued on, a pinprick of light came into their sight. For the past few hours the only light guiding the two had been Diego's glowing eyes. They were both grateful to find another source of light, and quickened their pace. As they neared the entrance though, Diego sensed that something was wrong. This would lead to the dino world, he knew that for sure.

But he had a feeling that this wasn't the right dino world. He stopped and put a paw out, stopping Sid as well. "Sid, something doesn't feel right about this place." he said. Sid looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked. The entrance, a large amount of light, sat a few yards away from them. Diego narrowed his eyes.

"I'm just not sure." he said, putting his paw back on the ground. "Stay close once we get there, I don't want anything to happen to you." he said. "You know, like getting eaten or something." he said, trying to cover the bit of protectiveness he had exposed. The two crept towards the entrance, cautious and fearful. Once they passed through, Diego immediately noticed something out of order. The first tree he saw was taller than any redwood he had ever layed eyes on. The grass came up to his own shoulders, and there was a flower as tall as Sid.

"Diego," the sloth said, moving closer to his friend. " Why is everything so…big?" he asked. Diego shook his head, looking around.

"I don't know, but we're gonna find out." he replied. Taking the lead, Diego started through the overly tall, lush green grass. Sid followed him, afraid of what might happen should he get lost.

"Diego? Do you think something could hide in here, and jump out at us?" he asked, his voice cloaked in terror.

"Well, as a predator, I know that grass this tall is good for stalking antelope and prey like that. I suppose it's possible, but perhaps it won't. We might get by safely." he tried to assure the sloth. Glancing back, he saw the sloth shiver and look around. He inwardly sighed. This was probably going to take a lot longer than he had hoped. Then again, how long had he hoped it would last in the first place?

"_Maybe we should go back, I don't want to get into any trouble._" he thought.

"_I believe you wanted to tell Sid something, while you two were alone down here._" the voice said. Diego looked at the ground indecisively as he walked.

"_Yes, I do. But what if something goes wrong? What if he gets hurt?_" Diego asked mentally.

"_I will always take care of you._" the voice replied. Diego nodded.

"_Alright, when the time is right, I'll do it._" he thought. As they continued through the grass, Diego began to feel uneasy, as though something was watching them. He glanced to his right, and saw a large pair of blue eyes. His heart jumped into his throat, but he forced it back down. "Sid?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"Could you come stand on my left side please?" After a moment, Sid quickened his pace and moved up next to the saber. Diego glanced to his right once more, and saw the eyes moving through the grass, following them. "_This is not good._" he thought. He glanced to his left, and saw a second pair of blue eyes. "Actually, why don't you come stand in front of me? I'll guide you." he said.

Sid obeyed. After a few seconds, Diego looked past Sid to see a third pair of blue eyes stalking them. "Stop." he commanded. Sid froze.

"What is it?" he asked. Diego turned and looked behind them, and saw yet a fourth pair of blue eyes locked onto them. He thought he could even see a head. He turned back to Sid. "Come here." he said. Sid walked slowly backwards, until he bumped into the saber. Diego gripped him with his paws before he could step away, and spun him around.

He looked him in the eyes, and spoke in a calm, commanding tone. "I want you to wrap your arms around my neck, and your legs around my sides. I want you to stay that way until I tell you otherwise." Sid blinked, but did as he was told, and attached himself to the saber. Once they were ready, Diego stood on all fours, and waited, looking around. The eyes came closer and closer, and Diego could hear the unseen mouths breathing. He could hear them flexing their claws, all of which sounded large.

Then, in a blur, all four beasts struck, jumping out at him from four different directions. Diego didn't take any time to observe them, while they were in the air, he bolted off.

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><p>So how was this chapter? It was very long, so I hope you all enjoyed it. Review!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9: Escape

Hello! I'm finally back! Sorry I haven't updated in soo long, but here it is! Wow, I looked all of my most recent reviews, and I'm surprised how much ya'll like this story! So here's chapter 9! Enjoy and review! Thank you to all who have reviewed so far!

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><p>Who's Boy?<p>

Chapter 9: Escape

Diego sprinted in a random direction, veering left and right when he heard the monsters beside him, and quickening his pace when he could hear the one behind him. Or was there more than one behind him? All he could tell was that the number of attackers had gone from four to twelve. The other eight must have been alerted by the first four, and wanted to try and get a meal. Diego didn't enjoy the feeling of being the hunted one, although he usually felt that way in this world. He grumbled under his breath about Sid being too fat even for a sloth, but nonetheless made sure the sloth didn't fall off of him. Sid's whimpering increased his heart rate, and he forced himself not to focus on the sloth but rather escaping.

As he continued, his breathing became laborous and raspy. He was tiring earlier than he should have because of Sid's extra baggage, but he knew he wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. He began to look around desperately, searching for a way to confuse the unseen monsters and drive them off course. He saw a large tree, covered in nicks, probably from dinos sharpening their claws, which could possible serve as paw holds if he were to climb. Muttering to Sid about hanging on tight, he made a beeline for the tree and leapt onto the overly large trunk. He reached for the first paw hold, and began climbing up the tree. He glanced down to see the vague shapes of the creatures stalking through the grass, looking for them.

As some of them neared the base of the tree trunk, Diego looked back up and focused on climbing faster. "Diego? Where are they?" Sid asked, his eyes peering up at the saber.

"They're down on the ground; I don't think they know we're up here, so keep quiet." Diego replied. Sid leaned his head against Diego, and shivered. Diego sighed. As much as Sid was worth to him, he felt as though the sloth was breaking his personal bubble. The first tree branch came into sight, and he headed towards it. "We're almost to the first branch, I think we'll be safe up there." he said. Once he reached the branch, he sat down on his haunches and told Sid to release his hold.

He let go of Diego with his legs, but kept his arms around Diego's neck, staring fearfully at the ground. Diego rolled his eyes and gripped Sid's arms, pulling them off of him. "I said 'you can let go now'." Sid just huddled into a ball and shivered. Diego looked down at the ground, and noticed that the creatures had spotted them. They hissed and one of them jumped. His body was bright yellow with red stripes and green spots around its eyes.

Its head was square shaped, with its maw gaping wide, full of wickedly sharp teeth. Diego remembered seeing a smaller version of the two legged dinosaur in Buck's world. This was just a version of it that was ten times larger. His worry increased, and he tried to figure out how to escape the brutes. He looked around, and spotted another branch higher up, entwined with a branch from another tree. It looked sturdy, like the rest of the branches, so he figured they would be safe if they could travel from tree to tree, going higher up as they went. One of the attackers leapt and latched onto the trunk, and started climbing.

Diego shoved Sid up the trunk as well. "Go, go! Those two up there! We can get to the next tree!" he said. Sid obeyed, a little jittery like, but climbed up the tree. Diego followed, stealing glances at their pursuers. The first one was advancing on them, and he urged Sid to go faster.

"Diego I'm scared!" Sid said as he climbed.

"It's alright to be scared." Diego replied, looking down again. "Just keep moving." They soon made it to the tree branches, and Diego had Sid walk across first. As Sid walked though, the wood creaked and bent, proving that it wasn't as strong as Diego had thought. In the time it took for Sid to get to the other tree, the dinos had caught up with Diego, and the first one leapt up onto the branch the saber sat on. He turned to see it slowly advancing, saliva dripping from its open mouth, teeth glinting in the light.

"Come on Diego, come on!" Sid called. Diego turned and ran across the tree branches. They groaned under his weight, but didn't break. When he was halfway across, the branches started bending, and he turned to see the first dino taking a few tentative steps forward. Turning back around, he continued running. He could hear the sound of his pursuer running after him, and ominous creaking coming from the branches.

"_Please, help us!"_ Diego thought, hoping that He would hear him. When he was almost to the other side, the branches finally broke, without warning. The dinos fell to the forest floor, the branches snapping in two. Diego, however, began to fall with them. He cried out in alarm, before two hands wrapped around his foreleg. He looked up to see Sid gripping him, struggling to stand. He pulled on the saber, and Diego got a grip on the remaining bit of the branch that hadn't fallen off.

Once they were both safe, they looked down at the ground, to see the dinos glaring and hissing at them. But instead of attacking, they turned and ran away. After a few moments passed, and they didn't return, Diego breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that was an adventure." he said, smiling at Sid. Sid chuckled nervously.

"So uh, what do we do now?" he asked. Diego looked around.

"Well, maybe if we can get to the top of this tree, we can see out over this place." Sid looked up, and winced.

"Don't you think that's a lot of climbing?" he asked. Diego thought it over.

"Yeah, you're probably right. But how are we gonna' find Momma dino?" Sid shrugged.

"I don't know. I was hoping you would help me with that." he replied, smiling sheepishly. Diego smirked.

"Well, I guess the first thing we should do is get down." Sid shivered.

"But, what if those _things_ come back?" he asked worriedly.

"Well, I guess I could carry you again-" Diego started. No sooner were the words out of his mouth, Sid had once again attached himself to the saber. He grinned.

"Okay!" Diego sighed and rolled his eyes. He started climbing down the tree, doing his best not to fall. Once all four of his paws were on solid ground, he gently pulled Sid off of him. "So what do we do now?"

"We look to see if we can find any trace of your t-Rex kids." Diego replied. "Do you know of any markings other than giant footprints Momma Dino would leave behind?" Sid thought for a moment.

"Well, she always sharpened her claws on trees whenever we stopped for a break, I think she was nervous."

"Well, let's look for claw marks on the trees." Diego said. Looking around, they realized that just about every tree was covered in unrealistically large claw marks. Diego sighed, then rubbed his chin. "Okay, that was a useless idea." Sid sighed. "There's gotta' be something else." Sid looked at the ground, and pointed at something.

"Well, we could keep following her tracks, we can see them better now." he said. Diego looked at the footprint. He nodded,

"Good observation." he said, and smirked. As they were walking, Sid decided to start a conversation.

"Hey Diego?"

"Hm?"

"Can you teach me some tracking skills?" Sid asked. Diego blinked in surprise.

"Tracking skills?" Sid nodded.

"Well…uh, where should I start?"

"If I got lost, and I had to find the herd by following their footprints, how would I know they were Manny or Ellie's?"

"Hm. Well, Manny's are slightly larger than Ellie's, first of all. Ellie's prints are much shallower than Manny's, I think it's because she was raised as a possum, so she likes to be light on her feet. Manny's prints often smell like wet grass, no matter what terrain he goes through, and Ellie's prints always smell like fresh roses." Sid raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Diego nodded.

"Oh yeah. They both smell a little bit like Peaches too now." he replied.

"What do Peaches' footprints smell like?"

"They have that 'new baby' smell, but they're starting to smell like cantaloupe."

"_Cantaloupe_ ? You mean her favorite fruit?" Sid asked. Diego nodded.

"That's the one." Sid looked at the ground in front of him.

"Huh, well I know what fresh roses smell like, and wet grass, but I've never smelled cantaloupe." he said. Diego smiled.

"You'll probably know when you smell it, it'll probably bring up a picture of it in your mind."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, maybe. Whenever I smell something, I try to bring up a picture for it in my mind, to see if I've smelled it before. Because if I have, it'll usually bring up a familiar picture." Diego replied. Sid nodded.

"I don't have a nose as good as you though." he said dejectedly. Diego stopped and put a paw on Sid's shoulder.

"Don't worry, just try and see what happens." he encouraged. Sid smiled at him.

"Thanks." They continued tracking the mother t-Rex, but danger was not out of bounds for the two yet.

* * *

><p>Manny looked high and low, but couldn't find them. He checked berry patches, calm fields, trees, cliff overhangs, anywhere he thought Diego and Sid would be. But it was all in vain. He finally sighed and returned home. "Any luck?" Ellie asked him. He shook his head sadly.<p>

"I can't find them anywhere. It's like they vanished!" he replied. Peaches toddled up to him.

"Daddy? Where are Uncle Sid and Uncle Diego?" she asked. Manny smile and patted her head.

"They're somewhere sweetheart, we'll find them." he replied.

"How?" Crash asked, appearing on his sister's head.

"Yeah, what if they _did_ vanish?" Eddie asked, appearing next to his brother.

"That's impossible." Manny stated. "We'll find them, they're somewhere on earth for sure."

"Oh, perfect! Thanks Manny, now it'll be _so_ much easier!" Crash said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Manny glared at him.

"Calm down guys." Ellie said. "I think we all need to look for them."

"Ellie, I have a bad feeling about this." Manny said after a pause. Ellie looked at him confusedly.

"What do you mean?" Manny bit his lip.

"I just have this feeling that, even if we combed the entire valley, we wouldn't find them."

"Why?" Manny sighed.

"I don't know."

"Then don't worry about it."

* * *

><p>As they walked, Diego began to notice the smears and blotches of yarrow on Sid. He remembered the human attack, and was grateful that they hadn't hurt Sid as much as last time. "Hey, Diego?"<p>

"Hm?"

"Do you think Manny and Ellie are good parents?" Diego was surprised by the question.

"Yeah, I, think they're great parents. Peaches loves them."

"What about the rest of us?"

"The rest of us?"

"Yeah, you know do you think they keep track of Crash, Eddie, you and I? Do they keep us under control? Spend enough time with us?" Diego opened his mouth to reply, but let it hang for a moment.

"Why, would you, ask that?" he decided to ask. Sid shrugged.

"I've been thinking a lot about parents recently, so, I just wanted to know if, maybe Many and Ellie are kind of like parents for all of us. After all, Manny's sort of the leader." he replied.

"Well, he and Ellie are doing a good job with Peaches. The rest of us, well maybe a little more quality time would help." Diego said. Sid smiled softly at him. Diego smiled back, before putting his nose to the ground and sniffing, looking to make sure they were following the tracks and keeping Momma Dino's scent in his nose. The grass was becoming even taller, completely concealing the two mammals from sight above themselves. Diego at first thought this was a good thing; perhaps if no more predators could see them, then maybe they could get through alive. However, he soon found out that being out of sight was not a very good thing in this world unless you were quick to dodge.

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><p>So how was it? Am I getting better? Worse? Not changing? No one has decided to explain that first metaphor I did yet. I hope you all continue to enjoy this wacky story!<p>

Buck: Oy, I've never seen this sort of thing.

Me: Buck? What are _you_ doing here?

Buck: Nothing, just wanted to stop by. (waves at readers) (whispers) If you can't figure out Diego's secret yet, she's plannign something really strange!

Me: Come on Buck, it's not like the world _never_ lived in peace and harmony, so who's to say _that_ is strange?

Buck:...

Me: Okay, it seems weird to us _nowadays_ because the world isn't like that any more, but come on!

Buck: You all best review, otherwise this story is going nowhere!


	10. Chapter 10

Who's Boy?

Diego and Sid trekked through the jungle for another few miles, constantly dodging oversized feet. The saber was honestly starting to get annoyed with this huge world, although being the first from the Ice Age to discover this variant of Buck's world was a rather nice honor to add to his list of achievements. Momma Dino's prints were well-worn into the ground, as though she had walked the exact same trail in the exact same prints over and over again. Although why she would want to hide her eggs next to a world of creatures big enough to eat them was far beyond Diego. At last, they came to a large rock wall, occupied by a hole only big enough for Momma Dino to squeeze through. Diego was sure other dinosaurs from this half could get through, but they seemed to avoid the rock wall. "Well, looks like we found the exit." he commented.

"Why would she come all the way out here?" Sid asked. Diego shrugged.

"Twisted dino logic, I guess." he replied. "Come on, we should be getting back up top soon." With that the two mammals proceeded through the hole, finding it to be the entrance to a long tunnel. Inside it was almost pitch black, and Sid had to place a hand on the saber's shoulder so as to not get lost. Diego flinched slightly from the touch, his mind having been mulling over something difficult, but paid it no more attention. "_How on earth am I supposed to tell him what happened? All we did together? Would he understand?_"

"How big do you think they are?"

"Who?"

"My kids."

"Oh. Ah...probably around...a third of the mother's size." At this point a light appeared, and Diego hastened towards it. To his and Sid's relief, at last, they came upon Buck's section of the dino world. "Ah, this is a relief." Diego sighed. "Everything back to normal."

"So, where should we look?" Sid asked, glancing around.

"I've still got the tracks, we just need to follow them." Diego replied. Suddenly, there was a rustling nearby. Sid jumped, spinning around fearfully, while Diego tensed, not moving. His ears swiveled to the direction the sound came from, and then his head turned. He slowly stepped in front of Sid, a low growl starting up in the back of his throat. "Don't move." he muttered to the sloth.

"Meep." was the only thing Sid could say. The rustling continued, becoming louder and louder, then stopped. Diego let his claws expand into the soil, tail flicking dangerously. A large, three-clawed foot stepped out from the foliage, then another, then the creature made its full appearance. "Yoko!" Sid screamed, practically in the saber's ear. Diego winced as Sid rushed out from behind him to embrace the dino, who was much larger than when Diego had last seen him. The saber couldn't help but smile, however, at Sid's display of affection towards the reptile.

"_If only he knew..._" Diego shook his head. Sid _would_ know. Maybe not now, maybe not soon, but he would.

"Oh, I missed you so much!" Sid babbled, fondly grabbing Yoko's head and shaking it lightly.

"Sid?"

"You've gotten so big since I last saw you!"

"Sid."

"How's the rest of the family? Were you three good for Momma?"

"Sid!"

"Aw, you're such a good little-"

"SID!"

"What?"

"Ask _Yoko_ here if he can lead us to his home."

"Oh, right." Diego rolled his eyes. "Yoko, can ya' take us home, buddy?" The dino responded by lifting Sid off the ground and setting him on his back, before turning and making his way through the foliage.

"Hey, wait up!" Diego called, following after the pair. They made their way through miles of what appeared to be a safe forest, unlike the Jungle of Misery. Finally they came upon a large cave beside a waterhole, where two other t-rexes the same size as Yoko were playing tug-of-war with a piece of rawhide. Sid was set on the ground by his current ride, then he rushed forward, arms wide. The other two dinos abandoned their game to greet Sid, while Diego made his way around the group to sit in front of the cave. He smiled at the happy scene, somewhat longing for the chance to do the same. There was a low grumble from behind, and Diego turned to see the mother dino making her way out of the cave.

She noticed Diego first, and cocked her head, eyeing him. Diego nodded in Sid's direction, and she looked over as well. She seemed to smile then, and settled down next to the saber. Both adults watched Sid and the baby dinos interact, clearly overjoyed at meeting again. "You know...it's just nice...to meet someone you were once close to, after such a long time." Momma growled in agreement. Diego's eyes suddenly became downcast. "But it's not so nice...when _they_ don't remember _you_."

Momma nudged his shoulder, so as to get his attention, before giving him a questioning look. Diego laid down.

"Well, it's just..." he sighed. "It's hard to explain. I...I knew Sid once. but...it was just a long time ago. It doesn't really matter anymore." Momma nudged him again, seemingly indignantly. "Well, it _doesn't_!" Diego insisted.

"Not if he's not going to remember. Besides...think about how horrified he be if...if he knew." Diego shook his head and stood. "Who am I kidding, I'm talking to a dinosaur!" he muttered, before trotting off into the trees. After making it a few meters out, he stopped and sat down beside a small puddle, gazing sadly at his morose expression. He sighed. "How do I tell him the truth if, it doesn't even _matter_?"

He closed his eyes, before his ear gave a flick. His green orbs opened once more, and he glanced around. His ear flicked again, and he registered the sound of pounding feet. But, there was no one remotely near him running. His eyes widened upon the thought of Sid, and he turned to go back to the cave. But suddenly, the pounding became loud and distinct. The saber looked up, eyes wide in horror.

"No." he whispered.

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><p><strong>So how's that for a comeback? Yes, readers of Fanfiction, I have started working on 'Who's Boy' once again! Yes, it is still set before Ice Age 4. Sorry if it seems a little rough, I'm still getting back into the groove of writing this. This story is officially dedicated to rascalblack12, who inspired me to finish this! Plz review and tell me what you think! :D<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

Who's Boy?

Diego rushed back to the cave, heart pounding. The valley couldn't take another slaughter like this; Manny and Ellie would die. Peaches would die. He stopped suddenly; it was so dangerous up there, why drag Sid along? He'd be safe with Momma Dino and...The saber's mind was instantly changed upon seeing a small lizard swallowed by a venus flytrap. He shivered; Sid would get into trouble somehow, he never failed to.

At least up top he knew he could stash Sid somewhere safe without the risk of the sloth getting killed all by himself. Diego started up once more, sprinting back to where the cave had been. He found Sid just where he'd left the sloth; playing with his dino kids, their real mother supervising them at a distance. "Sid!" he called sharply. The sloth looked up at him questioningly, surrounded by his three dino kids. Diego hesitated for a small moment. He hated to do to Sid what he had done to himself.

But then again, it wasn't the same, was it? "Let's go." he called with a jerk of his head. "We've gotta' get back up there!"

"Why?" Sid asked.

"Trouble." Diego replied lowly.

"What kind of trouble?"

"I'll explain on the way, say goodbye." Diego replied, his voice tottering out on the last half. Sid turned sadly to Yoko, holding the dino's chin. "You guys be good now." He gave a sad smile. "Momma's gotta' go; but it was good seeing you again." Diego turned away and bit his lip. Why did some things seem so...impossible?

After Sid had finished, the two mammals made their way back to the wall, hastening through the rock wall. Sid once again kept one hand on the saber so he wouldn't stray. Diego could have trembled at the touch, but remained strong; he had to take care of Sid now. And now more than ever. "Diego, what's wrong?" the sloth asked.

"They're back."

"Who?"

"The humans. Apparently their last little endeavor wasn't enough." Sid whimpered, and Diego felt something in his chest clench. "We'll be fine, I just need to get back up there and help Manny and Ellie out. You wouldn't wanna' fight on your own in a condition like theirs, would you?"

"No. But...what about you? You could get hurt, you could die!" Diego paused and gave a grimace, before moving on grimly.

"I have been hurt, believe me." he replied. Then added in an undertone, "I've even died." They made their way through the oversized portion of the dino world with a rush, soon coming across the cavern of ice that they had used as an entrance. Diego had Sid climb the snow mound beneath the hole in the ice first, followwing up after him and throwing the sloth upwards. Sid flew through the air with a scream, before plopping onto the snow above. "Sid, you okay?" he called up. The sloth reappeared with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." he replied.

"Good." With that Diego climbed up the snow mound as far as he could, reaching a paw up to Sid. "Pull me up." Sid blinked at him in surprise.

"_Me_? Pull _you_?"

"Yes Sid, come on! We're on a time crunch here!" Diego snapped. The sloth cringed, and Diego felt another clench. He sighed. "Sid I...I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean-"

"It's alright." With that Sid reached down and gripped Diego's paw, then pulled on it with all his might. Diego's back paws scrambled to push himself up, his free front paw grabbing onto the edge of the ice when it came into his reach. At last he was back up in the snowy ice age with Sid. He gave the sloth a long look, before turning and scenting the air; the humans were nearby. Too close for comfort. "So, what now?"

"Now we get you somewhere safe and out of the humans' reach." Diego replied. "Come on."

"But where could that be? Humans can get anywhere and everywhere!" Sid inquired.

"Don't worry, I'll find somewhere." Diego replied.

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><p><strong>So that's chapter 11! Sorry if it's too short, but I was kind of distracted while watching Princess Bride and figured I'd cut it off here so I could think better for the next chapter. So anyways, plz review and tell me what you think! :D Thank you's go to: <strong>

**Buckrocks**

**TeamPlasma70**

**rascalblack12**

**A. **

**Marlie Parson**

**for reviewing the last chapter!**


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